3 weeks ago
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Over a week aft eviction notices were served connected May 7 to 310 dwelling units successful Delhi’s Yamuna Bazar residential clump on the floodplains, 43-year-old Rajvati has spent sleepless nights worrying astir her family’s future.
“We person lived by the grace of the river. Our household has survived owed to it,” she said. Her hubby is simply a clergyman who conducts past rites, a enactment carried done generations successful his family. Like her, residents of the 32 ghats successful Yamuna Bazar, who person been residing determination for generations and whose livelihood depends connected the river, said they person obscurity to go.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority connected May 7 tasked the Delhi Development Authority with reclaiming the floodplain land. It termed the residential clump “illegal encroachment” and asked the residents to vacate the country wrong 15 days.
‘Didn’t ballot for this’
Ms. Rajvati said they are hoping Chief Minister Rekha Gupta volition prevention them. “We did not springiness our votes to go homeless,” she told The Hindu.
When floods deed during monsoons and their shanties are inundated, galore residents temporarily determination to adjacent locations. “For the past 2 years, erstwhile the floods came, we went to the adjacent schoolhouse astatine Kashmere Gate for 15-30 days and past came back to our homes,” said 33-year-old Reena Devi, a nonmigratory of 1 of the ghats astatine Yamuna Bazar.
The fearfulness of nonaccomplishment of livelihood that has revolved astir the stream generationally puts galore astatine the crossroads. Aslam, 55, has spent 40 years crafting boats connected the slope of the river. While helium doesn’t enactment connected the floodplain, the river is his “bread and butter”.
Bharat Lal Sharma, an 80-year-old priest, recalls 2006 erstwhile akin notices were issued. “We fought against it past and got a enactment from the Delhi High Court,” helium said, adding that present 20 years later, without immoderate rehabilitation plans, the announcement makes nary sense
